As always, compromise & industrial limitations underpinned design. /2
The Churchill Tank in Normandy: Part One 40-44
Ratty Relic or Bocage Buster?
How did it go from a hated, atrocious POS tank worthy only of the scrapheap to a reliable, trustworthy, survivable and popular gun tank in action?
Another pertinent tale. /1
#WW2 #SWW #History
As always, compromise & industrial limitations underpinned design. /2
88.9mm of front armour provided excellent protection for the five man crew, and WS No. 19 provided comms. /3
But why?
It call comes back to, you guessed it, June 1940 - at the height of that invasion-scare summer.
AFV cupboards were bare so the initial models were raced into production in June 1940... /4
9 RTR probably enjoyed the dubious honour of the first Churchill deliveries. /5
42% of Churchills off the road
Up to 75% breaking down on average Ex /6
Broken Churchills littered camps, ranges and the British countryside. /7
Well, sorta, to try and get numbers together Brigadier T.R. Price saw 31 Tank Brigade scrounge almost every working tank to pull a composite regiment together for the demo. /8
But there was a flip side that paid off down the road. Vauxhall and the Army spent over a year dedicating themselves to the Churchill. /9
This earned a lot of good will.
As did frequent exchanges of army personnel (on extra pay) to work with Vauxhall staff in Luton. /10
Fitters got better. Parts improved. Design improved.
By May 1942 deliberations as to a wholesale Rework scheme continued and gained the green light./11
Through near-nut and bolt factory rebuilds the Churchill was revitalised. /12
In many ways the Rework Scheme was the start of a long road into '44.
Army/civilian staff continually liaised & attended technical conferences./13
*Restorers take serious note here... those 'post-war mods' may not be so, and factory spec is the death of reliable Churchills. /15
It's as much a story exploring the Army's professionalisation of conscripts and recruits as industrial development. /16
Crews had become deeply knowledgeable and had faith in their mounts and their fitters. /17
A 95mm howitzer was originally mounted to create the Churchill V, aimed to make up for the 6 pdr's HE deficiency but the new dual purpose 75mm gun was regarded as preferable. /18
This rounded capability so each troop could engage dug in targets and armour with relative ease./19
Crews learned the 6 pounder armed tanks would hunt armoured quarries whilst 75mms laid HE & smoke./20
Were Independent Armoured (w. Shermans) and Tank (w. Churchills) Brigades to be used in the same manner as Monty contended, or did they require different doctrine? /22
More from Jonathan Ware
More from War
[THREAD] On the recent ISIS Sinai video.
This is done with help from @war_noir, go follow.
As the ISIS insurgency in the Sinai continues, this video shows a very interesting mix of SALW, with some usual suspects appearing, but also more interesting things...
1/
First, the most prominent feature of the video is (as always), large IEDs blowing up army vehicles, with varied effectiveness. This has been a constant for years by now.
IS Sinai retain substantial IED expertise, with these...
2/
Also being laid in an anti personnel manner. Multiple targets are seen hit. Conventional close-range attacks are seen also.
3/
Now, let's turn to small arms. As usual, we see a mix of typical AKs, FALs, etc.
These include Type 56-1 and 2, FN FAL 50.00, FAL Para, AKM variants, and the ever present Libyan AK-103-2 (See thread here). We also see AMD-65.
https://t.co/CLIyU64RUD
4/
When it comes to heavier weapons, the commonly seen DShK/M and Type 54 are seen. These are common.
It is notable that IS Sinai have the operational freedom to use these on Technicals, despite the presence of the Egyptian Air Force. Oh, and 81/2mm mortar (Helwan M-69?)
5/
This is done with help from @war_noir, go follow.
As the ISIS insurgency in the Sinai continues, this video shows a very interesting mix of SALW, with some usual suspects appearing, but also more interesting things...
1/
First, the most prominent feature of the video is (as always), large IEDs blowing up army vehicles, with varied effectiveness. This has been a constant for years by now.
IS Sinai retain substantial IED expertise, with these...
2/
Also being laid in an anti personnel manner. Multiple targets are seen hit. Conventional close-range attacks are seen also.
3/
Now, let's turn to small arms. As usual, we see a mix of typical AKs, FALs, etc.
These include Type 56-1 and 2, FN FAL 50.00, FAL Para, AKM variants, and the ever present Libyan AK-103-2 (See thread here). We also see AMD-65.
https://t.co/CLIyU64RUD
4/
[Large Thread] We've heard a lot about arms transfers from Gaddafi's stocks around the world, but often news articles are vague as to detail.
— C\u1d00\u029f\u026a\u0299\u0280\u1d07 O\u0299s\u1d04\u1d1c\u0280\u1d00 (@CalibreObscura) May 17, 2019
So, one weapon that you would have seen me tweet about a lot is the AK-103-2. This is essentially a 7.62x39mm version of the AK-74M.
1/ pic.twitter.com/pgY66eKOVf
When it comes to heavier weapons, the commonly seen DShK/M and Type 54 are seen. These are common.
It is notable that IS Sinai have the operational freedom to use these on Technicals, despite the presence of the Egyptian Air Force. Oh, and 81/2mm mortar (Helwan M-69?)
5/